RotoWire’s NBA betting picks for Tuesday, April 28, put the focus on the 76ers-Celtics playoff series and one scorer who has already flashed a ceiling. Nick Whalen recommended an over play on Edgecombe, pointing to a 30-point game in this series and a shooting line that has been far colder than the number suggests.
Whalen said Edgecombe has gone 0-of-16 from three in Games 1, 3 and 4, but still sees a spot for his shot to come around. That call comes as the series tightens around Philadelphia’s biggest needs, with Joel Embiid back in Game 4 and pulling down 10 rebounds in 34 minutes. Even then, Boston shot the lights out and the Sixers managed only 30 rebounds as a team.
The pick is part of a betting board, not a game recap, but the underlying numbers give the recommendation its weight. Whalen also referenced Boston’s likely shooting regression and the Sixers’ tendency to live closer to 40 rebounds per game in the series, a gap that could matter if Philadelphia is going to extend its season. With the Celtics' offense already showing what it can do and the Sixers needing more from their key scorers, the over on Edgecombe is being framed as a return-to-form bet more than a hot-hand wager.
Alex Barutha’s other series angles leaned on steadier production from the supporting cast. He said Anunoby has at least eight rebounds in each game of the series, an 8.8 average overall, and noted that Hart is averaging exactly 2.0 steals per game so far. Barutha also said Johnson has reached double-digit rebounds once in the series and is averaging 7.0 boards, a line that leaves room for more without requiring a breakout.
For Philadelphia, that is the tension in the background of the betting slate. The season is on the line, but the case for the over rests on a shooter who has missed almost everything from deep and on a series that has already swung hard on one hot Boston night. If the Celtics cool off even a little, the numbers Whalen cited suggest the 76ers - Celtics matchup could move back toward the kind of game where Edgecombe’s shooting finally catches up to his volume.